Darkness Undone (26 page)

Reynner made no mention of just how cold and emotionless these men were. They’d probably end her life and think nothing of it. Warily, Eve glanced around the silent room. The others had disappeared. And she was alone with this robot.

“What are you called?” Sebris asked. He strolled closer, looking like he had all the time in the world for this conversation.

“Eve.”

“Eve,” he repeated softly as he strolled around her chair. “We can make this easy or hard, all depends on your answer.” He stopped in front of her, his hands slipped in his jeans pocket. “What did the Empyrean find out about the artifact? Enlighten me. If I like your answers, you may get your wish to leave.”

Was he reading her? Eve tried to erect a wall around her thoughts. This kidnapping fiend would demand answers when Reynner had worked so hard, spent centuries trying to find the artifact.

“Even if I knew where the Stone was, I wouldn’t tell you. Why aren’t
you
looking for the artifact if it’s that important?” she demanded, despite her quaking insides. “You seem to want it bad enough. Is it so
you
can rule Empyrea? The Stone’s magic should benefit all of Empyrea—not just one person.”

Instantly, his eyes took on the appearance of black diamonds. Eve shivered. Crap, had she just said that? What’s to stop him from killing her?

Calm down, calm down. He needs
you
to find the Stone.

“Little mortal, it would bode well for your future if you refrain from making comments about a world you know little of. You make us out to be the villains—perhaps we are.” Another cold smile crossed his face. “Become difficult, and my courtesy will be rescinded. Your stay in the cellar will appear like paradise. Now we wait.”

“Wait for what?”

“Until the Empyrean arrives.”

Eve stiffened. “You think to use me to trap Reynner—to bargain for the Stone?” Her fear fled, she glared at him. “It will never happen.”

“Don’t waste your time with him, little mortal,” he drawled. “Immortals don’t consort with mortal females on a permanent basis.”

Jesus, why her? She’d left one prejudice-minded mage to land with their equally opinionated enemy. She said in a stony voice, “I'm glad we were put here for your amusement.”

“You are angry. Emotions are overrated, you’ll find.” He indicated the sideboard set against a window, laid out with a coffee pot and a covered plate. “Eat.”

“I’d rather eat with the devil.”

“Your wish is granted.”

Eve scowled. She clamped her lips shut and made her decision. She had to touch the fiend, find out what he planned to do, and prayed she wouldn’t black out in the process. No way would she allow Reynner to walk into a trap.

***

Sebris bit back on the pain mowing through his bones like acid. Taking a deep breath, he studied the seated female. He found it interesting the angry red flush streaking her face at his promise of trapping the Empyrean.

“Enlighten me,” he said, his gaze traveling down her body and back up again. There was something different about her. He couldn’t quite decipher what it was. “You’ve been with the Empyrean a while now. What does he do?”

In response, she got up and headed for the sideboard only to stumble. She let out a strangled gasp, her body shuddering as she fell against him. Sebris caught her.

What was wrong with this female? Was she defective?

Humans. So damn frail.

His gaze lit on the wound near her hairline. A wet scab had formed over it. Yes. Her blood would tell him the truth.

“Sorry,” she mumbled.

He dumped her back on the chair and willed the gash to start bleeding. Swiped a finger over the blood trailing down her forehead.

She gasped and jerked away. “What are you doing?”

He licked the trace of red on his finger. Said coolly, “Tasting your blood.”

Color drained from her face. “Why?”

“Because I can.” A coppery taste coated his palate and a slight hum rose in him only to dissipate. This wasn't what he picked up when he nabbed her from that street. She was mortal, yes, but no hint of the power that roiled so furiously through him and made his body tighten.

He stilled, his heightened senses picking up on the disturbances outside.

He headed for the sideboard, poured a shot of vodka in a squat glass and sucked back the liquor, enjoying the blistering trail burning his throat. It blurred the pain for a brief second, but it crawled right back into his bones again. He’d come back far too soon, didn't equate long enough.

And for what?

This human had too little of the magic in her. Which meant he’d taken the wrong female from the chaos. And yet the Empyrean guarded her like a rabid wolf.

Turning, he leaned against the sideboard and studied her. She shifted warily in her seat. He recalled the blood scent, that strain of magic hitting him square in the chest. No, it wasn’t from this female. Another was on the street, hurt—the only thing that made sense.

Sebris retrieved his cell phone and made a call. Keeping the conversation in his language, he told Paxyn what he required then slipped the device back into his pocket.

Time to end this and face his enemy.

He glanced at the female he’d wasted valuable days trying to capture because the Empyrean got her first. “Let’s go.”

Upstate, near the Hudson, Reynner eyed the two-story building opposite him as he waited for the others. The rich scent of soil and trees filled his lungs as he drew in another harsh breath.

His fists clenched. Pain tore through him. He wasn’t in the least bit surprised at Inanna’s retaliation after his attack on her. Usually, he didn't give a fuck what she did, except the damn agony prevented him from completely opening his mind to Eve.

He concentrated on the house and found several Darkreans scattered throughout the building. North was right, the Darkreans had called in reinforcements, and Eve was in there. Thank the heavens he’d soul-joined with her, or he’d never have been able to track her.

He cast an impatient glance at the moon, which seemed determined to pinpoint to his enemy exactly where he was, bathing the area in silvery light. He summoned a bank of thick rain clouds that sailed across the velvet night sky and shielded the eerie brightness. Darkness cloaked the forest and its surroundings once more. The cacophony of night insects quietened as if sensing danger. Even the gentle whispers of the foliage stilled.

Reynner detected North and Aerén not far behind him.

Needing the contact, he opened his mind again to Eve and hoped she didn’t experience his penance. But she seemed to have thrown a wall over her thoughts. Frustration and worry prowled through him.

He, an immortal who’d endured a century in Hell then destroyed the shithole and killed the demoness who’d tortured him, and he couldn’t even keep his mate safe.

North appeared beside him like a shadow. “The place is guarded tighter than a fortress.”

“Matters little, I’m going in through that balcony.” He nodded to the small one with rambling vines on the railings.

“You can’t. It’s surrounded by magic,” Lucan informed him, stepping out from the trees.

“You think I can't feel it? How the fuck can they do that? They have a mage in there with them?”

“With their limitation of power once off Dregarus, they will always be prepared,” Lucan said, his attention fixed on the house. “I need to find a weakness in the incantation.” He raised his hands as he worked.

Reynner prowled to the edges of the trees then came back again. “What’s taking you so bloody long?”

“Give me a damn minute,” Lucan muttered, his hand weaving in a series of complicated movements. “Unraveling this spell is not child’s play.”

“I don’t have time for this shit.” Reynner headed in the direction of the house. North blocked him.

“Get outta my way,” he snarled, power rolling through him. The winds picked up. More clouds gathered.

“Dammit, Reyn.” Aerén strode out of the darkness, back from his recon. “Keep the weather constant. Those degenerates will disappear with her if they know we’re here. They could very well take her back to Dregarus.”

That stopped him cold. In that barren ice land, Eve wouldn’t survive.

She was probably terrified out of her mind, trapped with those emotionless fuckers.

“We have to get her out. I have to get her—I can't—” he broke off, unable to think past his terror of her being hurt.

North remained silent. Aerén glared at the house.

“I sense her,” Lucan said then he cursed. “They know we’re here.”

Darkreans swarmed the grounds like bees escaping a hive.

Hell, yeah, perfect. Finally able to vent the fear and fury raging within him, Reynner summoned his sword and dematerialized.

***

Go where?
Eve wondered irritably. She wiped the blood trailing down her forehead with the back of her hand and stumbled after the Darkrean leader as he headed outside.

He’d been so intent on getting answers, and then, suddenly, he’d changed his mind? She had no idea why.

And her ruse at falling so she could touch him? What a waste of time. She’d picked up wisps of thoughts, a bad snowstorm someplace, but most baffling of all, no emotions.

Uneasy now, she rubbed her arms. It was as if she’d been sucked into a void and spat out again. How could a person feel nothing?

She followed Sebris onto a softly lit portico. Ignoring the pain shooting up her hips, she limped down the stairs leading onto the lawn. Cool night air surrounded her, rich with the mossy-green smell of wood.

Garden lights highlighted the riotously growing wild roses. Weeds appeared to have won the fight and taken over the grass. Tall looming trees surrounded the boundaries of the two-story mansion, making her feel cut off from the rest of the world. More dark clouds rolled across the sky, obscuring what was left of the moonlight.

She trampled through the ankle-length grass when sounds of clanging reached her ears.

She remembered them from before; when Reynner had fought the demoniis in the alley. Her heart pitched to her throat as they rounded to the front of the house and confronted the fracas on the lawn. Swords flashed, grunts and growls of the fighting figures filled the air. And in the horde of fighting men, she saw a flash of pale hair.

Reynner
.

She darted forward, but Sebris grabbed her by the arm and hauled her back.

“Let me go, damn you!” She fought to free herself, then elbowed him in the belly. He merely tightened his grip, making her wince.

Unable to free herself, Eve pressed a hand to her heaving stomach. Oh, God. So many men! Where had they come from? Wild-eyed with fear, she watched.

Reynner fought with a blond man. As if sensing her, he turned, their eyes locked.

Then someone killed all the garden lights.

A brick wall rammed into her. She hit the ground hard, landing on her side, unable to breathe as pain fired through her hurt limbs once again.

“
Eve!”

Amidst the chaos, she heard Reynner’s terrified yell. Enormous boots leaped over her as swords swung, clashing over her head. Trapped in a sea of lethal, fighting men, Eve pushed into a crouch and looked for a way out.

A sword winged toward her, the tinny sound of the blade’s whisper stopping her heart. Eve squeezed her eyes shut. She didn’t want to see the blow that would end her life—a hand yanked her against a hard body, knocking out what little breath she had.

A vortex of colors surrounded her in the space of a heartbeat, and then she was dumped on the outskirts of the battle.

Lucan gave her an annoyed look and flashed back into the fray, his sword swinging.

The man was as vicious in a fight as he was with his words. He nailed several Darkreans with the precision of a paid killer.

Her gaze darted around and she spotted Aerén fighting Sebris. Aerén’s sword swung in a deadly arc to decapitate. Sebris leaped back and vanished...only to reappear behind her.

He yanked her to him, just as Reynner materialized in front of them, his chest heaving. Blood dripped from a gash on his arm. His eyes glowed with intense rage. “Let. Her. Go.”

Eve tugged at her arm, but Sebris merely readjusted his grip like he was holding a pesky fly. Then he caressed her neck with a rough finger. Eve jerked her head back.

Reynner snarled. Power rolled off him, lightning streaked across the sky, and a bolt diverted, hitting the mansion with a violent display of sizzling sparks.

“Careful, Empyrean, you wouldn’t want to strike her now, would you?” Sebris murmured. The next second, the winds died down and the black clouds disappeared. “I could so easily end her life, but why bother? Mortals and their firefly lifespan,” he mused, his voice filled with pity before it hardened. “Call them off.”

“North,” Reynner yelled. North and Aerén flashed to flank him, their faces grim, swords braced for another attack. Aerén eyed Sebris with utter hatred. She remembered that he blamed the Darkreans for his parents’ disappearance. But the power coming off Aerén hurt her, like pinpricks of electrical surges. She swayed, and Sebris tightened his hold.

“So frail,” he murmured. “She won't be able to withstand your
anger
much longer before something in her gives out. Her heart perhaps? It does beat quite fast. Unnaturally so.”

“Dammit, Aerén, shield!” Reynner snapped. The next instant, the power surrounding her switched off like a light bulb.

“Thanks for the er- training,” Sebris drawled like this vicious fight mattered little to him. He let her go.

***

Bruised and battered, her face streaked with blood, Eve stumbled across the overgrown grass. Reynner flashed to her side and gathered her close, pressing his lips to her head. A sob escaped her, her arms tightened around his waist.

But her pain cut through him as if it were his own. He had to stomp down the urge to destroy the bastard in front of him, he had to get Eve to safety. Sweeping her into his arms, he nailed Sebris with a deadly look. “I will find you again, Darkrean, make no mistake.”

“I'm sure you will. Be thankful I saved the female,” Sebris said, glancing at his shirt where a dark, wet stain was spreading.

“Saved her? You fucking abducted her!”

“Make no mistake, Empyrean, when it comes to the Stone, I will do—and risk—anything.” His gaze settled on Eve again, his meaning clear. The asshole had made his point. Then Sebris added, “She has a powerful enemy in the goddess.”

At the Darkrean’s words, Reynner’s gut churned. How the hell did he know about Inanna?

“She told them,” Eve whispered.

Her trembling body wrenched his mind back, and he regained control over his need for retribution.

About to dematerialize, he cursed. The dissolving of their molecules would hurt her more. He tore off his tee. In a swish, his wings flared out. He swept Eve back into his arms and took to the skies. He held her close and out of the rush of wind created by his extremities. With his mind, he cast a haze around them to keep them undetected from human eyes. But he sensed North and Aerén following him.

“I'm all right,” she whispered.

“No, you're not,” he growled, knowing she’d said that to ease him.

She sighed and rested her face against his chest. Her fingers stroked his nape along the line of tension that remained coiled in him.

“These injuries aren’t from them—the Darkreans. When that horrible goddess struck me, I landed in a flower stall. Then people tried to help...”

And she’d passed out from all the emotions flooding her, making it easy for the emotionless fucks to take her. The fact that Inanna had dared to attack Eve had his blood buzzing in rage. But deep down, Reynner knew the goddess would have done far worse than the Darkreans if she’d taken Eve.

***

Reynner scowled at the closed bathroom door. Eve had shut him out—shut him out because he’d wanted to heal her first.

Reining in his frustration, he willed the door open and a cloud of steam enclosed him. The noisy splattering of water filled the small space. Eve turned, and her wide green eyes met his through the misty shower glass.

Did she really think she’d keep him out? Arms crossed over his chest, he leaned against the basin and watched her soap her injured body. Felt every wince as she ran the sponge over herself.

Finally, she shut off the water. As she stepped out from the shower, he held the towel open and gently wrapped it around her. Then he took another and dried her hair. The swelling on her forehead had darkened to an ugly purple. Several bruises marred her shoulder. His lips tight, he tossed the towel aside.

“Reynner—” She pushed the tangled damp strands from her face. “I’m sorry, but I needed a bath first.” She stroked his chest, like that would pacify him. “I'm fine, really,” she murmured and limped from the bathroom to her room.

“Fine?” He followed, temper flaring. He shut the door quietly behind them, resisting the urge to slam the thing. “Then why are you limping?”

A red flush streaked across her cheeks. Casting him a wary look, she shuffled to her closet, opened a drawer, and took out underwear. Pulling on pink panties, she stiffened. Her loose, damp hair hid her expression, but her indrawn breath told him how bad it was.

Jaw rigid, he stripped the towel from her, ignoring her gasp of indignation. Faced with the ugly contusions on her hips, the little insect bites on her arms and legs, his anger morphed into fear again. “Gods, Eve, look at you. You’re hurt so bad.”

“I didn’t want to worry you,” she whispered, eyes mossy green with pain. “But I needed a bath more. Reynner, I slept on a flea-infested mattress.” A tremor of distaste crossed her face as if that justified waiting to be healed. “A few more minutes wouldn’t make my injuries life-threatening.”

A low snarl rumbled from him. His mate had a way of pushing his buttons.

“Please,” she said, coming closer. “It’s just a few bruises. You can heal me now.”

She stood in front of him, so fragile and small. And frighteningly brave. Still, it was damn difficult to let go of his terror of what could have happened. He took the bra she held and tossed it on the bed.

“What were you doing out on the street?” he asked while he examined the bruises.

She eyed him warily, lifted a shoulder in a half-shrug. “We, er, went to buy flowers.”